A/N: Okay the chapters will be getting shorter from here on. It really is getting near the end. I know I've said that before, but, it is. Hope you enjoy this chapter!
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
The door shattered into to hundreds of pieces just as Alistair's lips touched Cauthrien's own. Instead of breaking the kiss and turning around to face their foes they continued with it ignoring the incoming assassins.
Then a deafening blast erupted snapping their attention back to the reality of the situation. The stones had flown everywhere crushing the incoming coming assassins. The other assailants' had stopped to see what the commotion was about. Alistair and Cauthrien looked on in confusion. Cauthrien raised her blade and Alistair decided to do the same, after looking around wondering what happened to his kiss.
As the dust began to settle Alistair saw two elven females and male. It took him a record nine seconds to realise who two of them where. Sidona and Zevran, he did not recognize the other female with them. By the looks of her it was safe to assume that she was a rouge. As if the leather armour and daggers didn't give it away.
"Well we made it. But still outnumbered. Where is the Warden when you need him?" Zevran teased.
"Two Wardens are present at this very moment." Sidona scoffed.
Alistair was thrilled that they arrived, he might survive the day after all. Cauthrien turned to him and nodded.
"Better get on with this then." He took a deep breath. "Come my rescue party! Rally to me!" Alistair yelled raising the ornament sword above his head.
The elven trio rallied around him taking up different stances. Alistair had a nostalgic feeling of leading men into battle. The last time he did he led a joint army of humans, elves, dwarfs and mages. Well he only led them part way, the true leader and General of the Army was Tomas Cousland.
It didn't matter, Alistair had learnt much of leading men with the templars and some lessons for Eamon. He didn't fear the assassins anymore, he and Tomas were in worse situations than this one during the blight and they made it out of that mess.
The assassin's began charging towards them. Their numbers had lessened considerably due to the wall being blown out and the rubble crashing into them.
Sidona was the first one to draw blood, an arc of lightning hit one assassin square in the chest then the lightning exploded from him calming the lives of two other assassins. Alistair new the spell well. Chain lightning, Morrigan used the spell from time to time a useful spell.
An assassin ran passed Sidona, knocked over Zevran only to be blocked by Kallian. Kallian parried every blow the assassin threw at her. Alistair was too enthralled with the fight that he did not noticed the female assassin sneak up on him. Luckily Cauthrien noticed and intercepted her.
The assassin didn't stand a chance against Cauthriens skill with a blade. While Cauthrien dealt with the female assassin another assassin charged at Alistair, his ornamental blade blocked the attack but the blade shattered. The assassin fell to the ground. Taking the advantage of the assassin's current status, he took the assassins sword and stabbed the blade into his torso.
I am not going down without a fight! Alistair thought to himself, he had come too far to allow these assassins to succeed. He charged into battle, taking a few off guard he quickly made swift work of them.
A flash of light, illuminated the throne from for a brief second. It was Sidona casting lightning magic. The arcs of electricity dances around the throne room hitting only the assassins. An arc passed by Alistair, he could feel the heat touching his face. He followed the arc and saw it hit an assassin behind him.
Focus Alistair!
— — —
Sidona hadn't felt this exhausted since her first deep roads expedition. Darkspawn surging from every corner, shadow even the ground. This was nothing like that but the sheer number made up for that.
Every assassin she killed lowered their numbers but another group would enter. She regretted not getting some Lyrium potions when she could, she could have used them to keep using magic—at this rate…
She heard it. Thunk. She looked at her shoulder and saw the arrow embedded snuggly into her shoulder. Another arrow followed quickly striking her in the chest. Zevran rushed to her side and barely deflected another bolt heading for her head.
"Dammit all!" Sidona yelled in pain as she gripped on of the arrows.
Sidona looked on as a mage entered the throne room, a female elf. She had the marks of a dalish clan on her face she didn't recognize the clan.
The elf with her blonde, long wavy hair and radiant face had her silver eyes scan the bloody battle in front of her. She watch yearningly over the battle taking place in front of her then she spotted Sidona and with a wave of her hand she sent Zevran flying towards Kallian.
Zevran impacted with Kallian sending the two rogues to the ground with Zevran on top. Had it not been a battle Zevran would have loved that.
The pain was great, she could not feel her left shoulder and her vision blurred. Could the arrow tip been coated in a poison? Not knowing what poison was used was a problem. An antidote could exist or not. That fact worried her.
Pushing past the pain and numbness, Sidona tried to summon what mana she had left for a spell… and there was nothing. No spells came when she summoned the power. She was utterly at the mercy of these assassins.
There seemed no way out of this mess… unless she dared to use that magic.
— — —
Alistair looked on his mouth gaping at the scene. A Grey Warden mage collapsed on the ground. His resolve faltered, he turned to where Zevran and Kallian lay and they were surrounded by the assassins.
He lowered his sword, if he gave up would these assassins spare them? Highly unlikely. Cauthrien saw his arm lower and caught it.
"Don't give up!" She yelled shacking his arm. "If we run for it, kill the mage we can escape!"
The blood drained from Alistair's face. He could finally smell the burning corpses and the blood. He was snapped back to reality. He did not like it. He wanted to win, so badly, like when he was with Tomas. No matter what situation Tomas was in he could turn it around.
An expedition into the Deep Roads to find a mad woman surrounded by darkspawn, demons, forgotten spirits and crazed golems, suicide for most but not for Tomas. His leadership and tactical mind plus his martial prowess.
Despite being a Warden for longer than Tomas, Tomas was more of a Warden than he ever was.
Alistair began to doubt himself, he could feel Cauthriens eyes on him looking for a response. He wanted to agree with her plan and run away, but he felt that it was hopeless. Even if they did run, they did not know the number of men they had out there.
"Alistair! Hurry up and choose!" Cauthrien yelled through tears.
He looked her dead in the eyes, times seemed to slow for him. It was now or never, time to…
"Maker's Breath!" He softly said, mesmerised by the sight. Looking towards the door where the assassins came from.
Cauthrien turned to look and gasped in horror.
The blood that had been spilled up until now was…rising! It formed globs of glowing red… blood? Whatever it was it didn't look like blood anymore. It was thicker than blood and it was shifting slowly in an unsettling way that made Alistair feel ill. Cauthrien pointed to Sidona and Alistair saw her begin to float, two small globs floated around her before placing themselves on the arrows sticking out of her body. With a swift movement they removed the arrows from her body.
Sidona cried out in pain, she didn't look possessed no jet black eyes, corrupted rotting flesh, His inner templar kept screaming "demon!" He had saw the Ferelden circle, demons didn't have to force their forms onto those who they possessed. They could hide in human form.
The bodies underneath her slowly rose up, as if they were puppets on the string. The blood from their bodies flowed out of them, it was more fluid than the globs. The blood then… entered her wounds, steam rose from there place. Squinting Alistair could see that her wounds had vanished.
"What kind of blood magic is this?" He hissed.
"She's a maleficar!" Cauthrien gasped, pointing out the obvious.
Sidona turned to the assassins who just watched the events unfold before their eyes. She pointed at the largest group of them and the globs spit into more globs and flew at them. Whatever the globs were, they were dangerous. When they touched the assassins it... melt them. The areas the globs touched began to melt causing intense agony to the victims.
The cry were too much for Cauthrien and he held her hands to her eyes to protect them from the sounds.
"This is not glorious, this is no battle." She began, the tears were streaming down her now red cheeks. "This is a slaughter!"
Alistair held her in his arms tightly and watched as the assassins who had yet to meet the same fate as the other ran away in fear of the globs. The female elven mage stood her ground, shooting lightning at the globs. Her allies ran passed her, one knocked into her distracting her the globs then immediately swarmed her, consuming her. Nothing was left, not even her body.
All the assassins had ran away now, leaving the throne room empty and full of bodies and blood.
The globs then exploded spilling pools of blood everywhere. The throne room was covered in blood. Alistair shield Cauthrien as best he could.
Sidona slumped to the floor, panting in exhaustion. Then her face began to frown and tears began to build up in her eyes. There was no blood where she was, a large circle of what the throne room should look like surrounded her.
"I'm so sorry, so sorry." She cried out as he began to tremble.